Lone Star Solution to the Immigration Snarl? The “Texas Solution”

Last week I attended the Texas State Republican Convention. The biggest fight was over the “Texas Solution” which would allow a path for illegal aliens to achieve legal status and some say a path to citizenship. Of course, since the defeat of Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader, the whole landscape for immigration reform has changed. The chance for immigration reform has slipped away, in this Congress. Among the offerings for immigration reform is the Texas Solution. Here are the pros for the Texas Solution:

From George Rodriquez**:

1.Secure the U.S. borders and the nation.

2. Modernize the federal Social Security Card with anti-counterfeit, technology, but not to be used as a National ID card for U.S. citizens.

3. Begin the “conversation” to clarify Section 1 of the 14th amendment to limit citizenship by birth to those born to a citizen of the United States with no exceptions, and without retroactive removal of citizenship.

4. Create a temporary worker program to bring skilled and unskilled workers into the United States for temporary periods of time when no U.S. workers are currently available. This program should also require:
– Self-funding through participation fees and fines;
– Applicants must pass a full criminal background check;
– Applicants with prior immigration violations would only qualify for the program if they paid the appropriate fines;
– Applicants and/or Employers must prove that they can afford and/or secure private health insurance;
– Applicants must waive any and all rights to apply for financial assistance from any public entitlement programs;
– Applicant must show a proficiency in the English language and complete an American civics class;
– Temporary workers would only be able to work for employers that deduct and match payroll taxes;
– All participants would be issued an individual Temporary-Worker Biometric Identification Card that tracks all address changes and both civil and criminal court appearances as a defendant.

Liberals are always claiming conservatives are “anti-immigrant”, but here is a logical and practical approach to the immigration issues and needs of our nation. It avoids mass deportation which would be costly and impractical, it prevents the breakup of families, and it does not create any amnesty programs.

Strict enforcement of immigration law and oversight of the temporary worker program will be important to the success of this program. However, the GOP and conservatives have placed a proposal on the table. It is not a one-sided conversation anymore. Importantly, it will keep many Hispanics from being used as political pawns by liberals and Democrats.

I had a chance to speak with the Texas Solution people and I posed three questions. If they could answer them to my satisfaction, I said I would support their compromise:

1. Do they, really trust the President and the Democrats to keep their word on any bargain struck? President Obama and the Democrats have not shown they are trustworthy partners in any legislation. Quite the contrary, they have established a long record of changing their minds and breaking promises, not to mention, acting unconstitutionally. Until we have a President and Senate we can trust, immigration reform stands little chance of passage.
2. The Texas Solution says the border must be secured. What time frame are they proposing? Is it six days, six weeks, six years? Without a defined period, the Democrats could delay, obfuscate and dither, stretching securing the border for an indefinite period.
3. What are the consequences for not securing the border? Without consequences, the Democrats could ignore the legislation, as President Obama is wont to do .

While “The Texas Solution” has several good points, the crux of the question is the lack of trust of the President and Democrats. Until, and not until we get a reliable legislative partner, there will not be a chance for significant legislation to pass this Congress. So, how will the President handle this log jam? Not by working to reestablish the trust of Congress but by doubling down on his unconstitutional, dictatorial, and unilateral passing more and more regulations, thus creating more distrust between the executive and legislative branches of the government.

**George Rodriguez is president of the South Texas Political Alliance, a conservative political advocacy organization that addresses state and local issues.

In my many years I have come to a
conclusion that one useless man
is a shame, two is a law firm,
and three or more is a congress.
— John Adams

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